Michigan State expected to hire LeVar Woods as assistant head coach and special teams coordinator

Michigan State head coach Pat Fitzgerald is expected to hire LeVar Woods as assistant head coach and special teams coordinator, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.

Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz also announced the news at his press conference on Thursday. Ferentz noted that Woods will coach in in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Dec. 31 when the No. 23 Hawkeyes take on No. 14 Vanderbilt on Dec 31. Woods will make the move to East Lansing after that.

Woods most recently served as special teams coordinator at his alma mater, Iowa, which is a role he has had from March of 2017 through the 2025 season.

Iowa consistently puts out strong special teams units year in and year out under Woods and Ferentz, and Woods is widely considered as one of the the top special teams coaches in the entire country.

Woods will get the added title of assistant head coach under Fitzgerald at MSU.

Woods has coached for Iowa throughout his entire coaching career. He is a two-time Broyles Award nominee (2024 and 2025), which is given out annually to the top assistant coach in college football.

He handled all phases of special teams play for the Hawkeyes since earning that role. He also coached Iowa's tight ends for three seasons from 2015 until 2017 and linebackers for three seasons from 2012 through 2014. Before that, Woods served as an administrative assistant with the Hawkeyes from 2008 through 2011.

As mentioned, Iowa's special teams unit's under Woods' tutelage often ranks toward the top of the country in multiple categories.

For the 2025 season, Iowa leads the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in punt return yardage (584) and punt return average (29.2). The Hawkeyes are also tied for first in the country in punt return touchdowns (three). Additionally, Iowa also ranks in the top-10 in kickoff return average (25.55) and kickoff return defense (13.74 average yards allowed per return).

In 2024, All-American return specialist Kaden Wetjen led the country in combined return yardage, and returned two kicks for touchdowns. Wetjen was named the recipient of both the Jet Award and the Rodgers-Dwight Big Ten Return Specialist of the Year Award. In 2025, Wetjen followed up his impressive 2024 performance with three punt return touchdowns — including one against Michigan State on Nov. 22 — and a kickoff return for a touchdown.

Also in 2024, punter Rhys Dakin was named as a freshman All-American after averaging 44.1 yards per punt, while kicker Drew Stevens broke the Iowa program record for most career field goals of 50 or more yards (12).

In 2023, Iowa ranked first in the country in net punting (44.2), fourth in blocked punts (two) and eighth in kickoff return defense (15.6). Iowa had two specilaists named as consensus All-Americans that year in punter Tory Taylor and return specialist Cooper DeJean. Taylor won the Ray Guy Award, which is presented to the nation’s best punter, and he was the first ever Hawkeye to earn that honor. Taylor was also recognized as the Big Ten Punter of the Year in 2023 after setting new NCAA single-season records for most punt yards (4,479) and average yards per punt (48.2 with a minimum of 75 punts). Taylor is also the NCAA record-holder for punting average in a career (46.3).

In 2022, Iowa ranked among the top-three in the Big Ten Conference in terms of punt and kickoff returns, and punt and kickoff return defense. The Hawkeyes ranked third in the Big Ten and 15th nationally in net punting, while checking in at second in the conference and 19th in the country with three blocked kicks.

As a player, Woods was a three-year letterwinner for the Hawkeyes from 1998 until 2000. He started for two-years as at outside linebacker, and compiled 165 total tackles, 18 tackles for loss and four sacks throughout his career. Woods was a team captain as a senior in 2000 and earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors from both league coaches and media after recording 97 tackles.

Woods was selected to play in the Blue-Gray All-Star game after his senior season. He was also elected as co-Most Valuable Player and received the Hayden Fry “Extra Heartbeat Award," which is given each year to the "Hawkeye player who gives extraordinary effort on the field."

Following his playing days at Iowa, Woods played in the NFL for seven seasons after going undrafted. From 2001 until 2007, Woods spent time in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Tennessee Titans.

In December of 2000, Woods received his degree in elementary education from the University of Iowa.

Woods’ son, Mason Woods, is a freshman tight end on Iowa’s 2025 roster.

LeVar Woods spoke about his decision at a press conference on Thursday: